Basics of the Web Profile

The Java EE 6 web profile is a specified minimal configuration targeted for small footprint servers that support "typical" web applications. The Web profile is a minimal specification, so an implementation is free to add additional services or allow applications to provision additional services. The required elements of the web profile are:

Servlet 3.0

JavaServer Pages (JSP) 2.2

ExpressionLanguage (EL) 2.2

Debugging Support for Other Languages (JSR-45) 1.0

Standard Tag Library for JavaServer Pages (JSTL) 1.2

JavaServer Faces (JSF) 2.0

Common Annotations for Java Platform (JSR-250) 1.1

Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 3.1 Lite

Java Transaction API (JTA) 1.1

Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.0

Dependency Injection for Java (JSR-330) 1.0

Contexts and Dependency Injection for Java EE platform (JSR-299) 1.0

Bean Validation (JSR-303) 1.0

Details on the current state of each of these is traced below. Geronimo is already at the current level for some of these components, for others we'll need to located updated versions. Hopefully, this will be just new releases of components we already use, but this might also require developing some elements directly as part of Geronimo.

In addition, the Geronimo spec tree contains versions of the API classes for these different interfaces, so we will probably need to develop new versions of the API classes.

As a first step in developing these, we might want to create a plugin group that is an embodiment of the web profile using the Java EE 5 components currently in Geronimo. This will give use a platform for experimenting with how to configure the server for the smaller footprint and how to allow additional services to be added to the mimimal profile configuration. Also, as Java EE 6 compatible implementations become available, we can create additional plugins that allow the newer versions to be swapped in to the configurations.

Component Details

The current known state for each of these components in Geronimo is detailed here. Feel free to update this information as new details emerge.

Component: Java EE 6

Support for new "java:global", "java:app", and "java:module" namespaces will be required for all profiles of Java EE 6. Unfortunately, the semantics for adding and referencing names in these new namespaces is still up in the air and is one of the items holding the spec open.

Component: Servlet 3.0

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

Servlet 2.5 - geronimo-servlet_2.5_spec-1.2

Current Geronimo Provider

The servlet container can be either Tomcat 7 or Jetty 8? The Tomcat artifact Geronimo uses contains patches applied on top of the Tomcat version.

The Tomcat plan is for a 7.0.x release that supports the Servlet 3.0 specification to be available as soon as the Servlet 3.0 spec finalizes. This chart has an interesting note that this will support JSP 2.1 because there is no JSP 2.2.

For Jetty, there is a similar project plan for an 8.0.x version also planned at the time Servlet 3.0 goes final.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

Unknown. In the Tomcat community, this appears to have been discussed, but is not really under active development. The Jetty community seems to be tracking the Servlet 3.0 activity a little more closely, but I've not found any projections for availability.

Geronimo trunk is currently building with snapshot versions of both projects, but there are some issues that are being worked.

Additional Notes

Component: JavaServer Pages 2.2

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

JSP 2.1 - geronimo-jsp_2.1_spec-1.0.1

Current Geronimo Provider

Geronimo is currently relying on Jasper for the JSP implementation on Tomcat. I'm not sure I understand what the Jetty story is on this.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

I've not been able to locate many signs of activity on this.

Additional Notes

There's something bizarre going on with this spec and the Expression Language one. The Tomcat release plan indicates there is no JSP 2.2 version. There don't appear to be any JSP 2.2 specifications that can be located, and there are no JSRs at the Sun Java web site related to a JSP 2.2 release. The only references I've managed to find have been a couple of indicators that Glassfish is supporting JSP 2.2, but there don't appear to be any details on what this actually is.

New information has emerged on this spec. There is no JSP 2.2 or EL 2.2 specification. This is, however, a maintenance release of the JSR 245 Specification that contains some minor enhancements to both the JSR 2.1 spec and the EL Information about the proposed changes can be found here.

Component: Expression Language (EL) 2.2

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

EL 1.0 - geronimo-el_1.0_spec-1.0.1

Current Geronimo Provider

This is provided by the JSP provider, so they're fairly tightly coupled.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

This tends to be tightly coupled with the JSP providers, do it's difficult to say what the story is.

Additional Notes

The spec version appears to be a bit of a muddle. The spec jar is getting built claiming it is 1.0, but the latest version defined in the Web Profile appears to be in lock-step with the JSP version numbers. It's not clear what version we are actually at currently, but it is possible that there have not been any API changes in this area since the 1.0 version.

It appears that the Web Profile specification has an error in the version number. There is no Expression Language 2.2 specification. However, the JSR 245 Maintenance Release includes some minor updates to the EL specification. These updates are not broken out into a separate spec, but are included under the umbrella of the updated JSP 2.1 spec.

Component: Debugging Support for Other Languages (JSR-45) 1.0

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

1.0

Current Geronimo Provider

This is really JSP debugging support, and is implemented by the JSP provider. We're currently getting this from Jasper.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

Nothing new for Java EE 6 in this area.

Additional Notes

Component: Standard Tag Library for JavaServer Pages (JSTL) 1.2

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

None - We use Sun RI

Current Geronimo Provider

Sun RI, but there was a patch contributed by IBM to the JSP team to upgrade the ASF JSP 1.1.2 to the 1.2 level. Not sure what the latest status is...

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

There is an active MyFaces 2.0 project, though I've not been able to find much status about where this is in implementation.

Additional Notes

Component: Common Annotations for Java Platform (JSR-250) 1.1

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

geronimo-annotation_1.0_spec-1.1.1

Current Geronimo Provider

Geronimo implemented.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

Not started, but this should be a fairly simple item to complete.

Additional Notes

This is really just a set of annotations classes that can be shared across different Java EE components.

Component: Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 3.1 Lite

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

geronimo-ejb_3.0_spec-1.0.1

Current Geronimo Provider

OpenEJB

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

Like the web profile itself, this appears to describe a minimal feature set, but an implementation can provide more than the minimum, if desired. This appears fairly easy to meet, once the 3.1 feature set is implemented. Portions of the 3.1 features have already been implemented in OpenEJB.

The major EJB 3.1 features yet to be completed in OpenEJB are async interfaces, schedule based timers and the no-interface view. Of the three, only the no-interface view is required for EJB Lite. Several updates are required for changes to the EJB 3.1 spec in the last few months mostly around deployment descriptor, additional annotations, Singleton bean lifecycle tweaks and support of the official javax.ejb.embedded.EJBContainer API based on the existing OpenEJB InitialContext/embedded API. Rough estimate of the time required to complete the no-interface view and updates required for the EJB Lite profile are 2-3 weeks and 4-6 weeks respectively. Rough estimate on async invocations/interfaces is 3-5 weeks and schedule based timer support 4-?. The schedule based timer support is the largest undertaking, based on de facto standards like Cron and Quartz, but different enough that it is not possible to use any existing library as-is. Actual completion dates depend on time spent in other priorities.

A major new Java EE 6/EJB/Servlet feature to be completed in Geronimo is the ability to include EJBs in .war files which required as part of the Java EE 6 Web Profile. Any EJBs in the webapp share the classloader of the webapp and the java:comp/env namespace of the webapp. The Geronimo deployment process will also need to be updated to treat all webapps as potential sources for EJBs to support this feature. Rough estimate is 3-4 weeks of likely both David Blevins' and David Jencks' time.

Additional Notes

The embedded version of OpenEJB is capable of handling a dynamic provisioning of the different subsystems from the Lite profile version up to the full capability (minus the CORBA integration, which is handled by Geronimo). It appears there will be some work required on the part of Geronimo to create profiles/plugins that will selectively start the GBeans that integrate different portions of the OpenEJB stack with the configuration. Currently, the Geronimo EJB configuration is an all-or-nothing proposition.

EJB 3.1 API libraries currently being developed in asf/openejb/trunk/openejb3/api/ejb31-api-experimental/ with plans to move it to asf/geronimo/specs/trunk/geronimo-ejb_3.1_spec once the specification closes. Current close date is slated for some time in September 2009.

Component: Java Transaction API (JTA) 1.1

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

geronimo-jta_1.1_spec-1.1.1

Current Geronimo Provider

Implemented by Geronimo directly.

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

No revisions required for Java EE 6,

Additional Notes

Component: Java Persistence API (JPA) 2.0

Current Geronimo Spec Versions

geronimo-jpa_3.0_spec-1.1.1

Current Geronimo Provider

OpenJPA 1.2.1

Status of Java EE 6 Activity

The 2.0 version is actively being developed by the OpenJPA community on trunk (2.0.0-SNAPSHOT.)

Additional Notes

JPA 2.0 Spec API is being developed in specs/trunk/geronimo-jpa_2.0_spec. As new public spec drafts are released, we move the existing API to branches to preserve building OpenJPA Milestone releases. Also, there is a JCP legal restriction that the current JPA artifacts must be labeled as Early Access and for testing purposes only (see the included NOTICE file.)

Currently, OpenJPA 2.0.0 Milestone 2 is using the 1.0-EA2-SNAPSHOT branch and includes most features that were defined in the Spec before the latest PFD dated March 13, 2009.